Princess 05-200

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7/24/05: We received Princess from and elderly gentlemen who, due to retirement and upcoming absences from home, thought it was in the best interest of Princess to give her up. He adopted Princess in December, 2004 from another gentleman, and was unaware that Princess was pregnant. She gave birth to 8 happy healthy babies in January, 2005. All of her offspring have been adopted out.

Princess is 2 years old, d/o/b 6-22-03. She is very shy and very timid of strangers. She had not been socialized much at all. We are unsure if she originally came from a puppy mill. She stayed in the house with her owner under a table, from where she never wanted to come out. The owner wrote for help with the surrendering of Princess, which is how we became aware of her situation, so we did an assessment and are now fostering her.

When we got Princess, she would not come up to us, hunkered down, gave a very sad look and would not eat. She did walk well but was very aware and scared of her surroundings. When we brought her home to our brood, she did quite well. We have an 8 ? year old Golden name Cheyenne, a 9 ? year old Pembroke Corgi named JJ and a 2 ? year old Border Collie, Maggie. We also have 3 kitties: Lexie, a Calico about 1 year old; Roxie a 3 yr old DSH and Rowdy, a 3 year old gray DMS. All get along great. Princess seems comforted by other animals, and especially our Golden, of course. She is quite the ?step-mom!? It has sort of been ?monkey see?..monkey do?, and that is the whole idea. If one critter wants attention now, so does Princess. She does follow me around a lot. Noises always startle her, however, we go about our business as she needs to get used to every noise, animals going in and out, cooking, telephone rings, etc. She has greatly improved on this. She has her spot underneath the kitchen table as we are in or around that area the most. Otherwise she does have a corner in the living room. I have introduced her to some chew bones, and she's tried a couple of Nyla bones, too.

We have made great advances in the feeding department. At first she did not eat at all, then only chicken we boiled or hamburger we browned and mixed with white rice. She did test positive for ringworm and the vet stated her appetite should increase with medication , which it has. Not a ton of food, but fairly normal now. I do feel her 4X a day rather than the 2X I do the rest of the clan. I try to keep it as calm as I can, but yet she has to get used to others eating as well.

This really warms our heart to see her eat as she is so very thin, only 36#!!! She is a smaller Golden and will probably top out at 50# at the most. Maybe she was the runt of the litter when she was born? Princess has the most beautiful face, great coat, clear eyes and nice teeth. She does have a heart murmur which may require meds when she gets older. The person adopting this dog should be very aware of this and watch for symptoms such as coughing, hard breathing or labored breathing, etc.

She does sit very nice by me and has even licked me! She loves kisses on her cheek, too. She loves to go for walks and is getting better. Still very timid around strangers (hunkers down and always has her tail in between her legs!). I am trying to socialize her more by taking her out in the front yard and just letting the neighbors come by. They know the situation and are very good about it. Socializing will really take time and patience, but she is very willing, I think. She really knows how we love her and shows small signs of trust. She is good about going to the bathroom and stools, etc. are fine. We walk Princess with a harness and leash, matching of course :) She is curious, too.

We are attempting to get her to come upstairs and sleep with the rest of the crew. We have one dog on the bed, two on their large pillows on the floor and kitties wherever. She has come up, popped her head around the corner, and then leaves. I believe she sleeps at the end of the steps. We also have a doggie bed for her in the living room, but she seems to do fine. I have slept down on the main floor in the extra bedroom and she will not come up on the bed, but rather lies on the floor next to the bed.

In time, I think she will jump up and snuggle like the rest of them. For the first time today (7/24) she ?humped? our Golden who was wrestling with the Border Collie! Was very cute to see and great that she ?stepped out? as well! We see her making small strides every day. We are just very patient. I don?t want to do too much for her, either. She has to learn nothing and no one will hurt her and noises and things are just a part of every day living.

I only go to work for 4 hrs in the morning, usually 7-11 am. This works out great for all of them. Then lunch and a walk(s), so no one is home for a long period of time. We generally never go anywhere much. Also, Princess was VERY good around our 7 month old granddaughter. Very good, and not too shy either!

PrincessPrincessPrincessPrincessPrincess

At a Glance #05-200

Breed not specified Born: March 2005
Female Weight not specified

Status: Adopted

Profile

7/24/05: We received Princess from and elderly gentlemen who, due to retirement and upcoming absences from home, thought it was in the best interest of Princess to give her up. He adopted Princess in December, 2004 from another gentleman, and was unaware that Princess was pregnant. She gave birth to 8 happy healthy babies in January, 2005. All of her offspring have been adopted out.

Princess is 2 years old, d/o/b 6-22-03. She is very shy and very timid of strangers. She had not been socialized much at all. We are unsure if she originally came from a puppy mill. She stayed in the house with her owner under a table, from where she never wanted to come out. The owner wrote for help with the surrendering of Princess, which is how we became aware of her situation, so we did an assessment and are now fostering her.

When we got Princess, she would not come up to us, hunkered down, gave a very sad look and would not eat. She did walk well but was very aware and scared of her surroundings. When we brought her home to our brood, she did quite well. We have an 8 ? year old Golden name Cheyenne, a 9 ? year old Pembroke Corgi named JJ and a 2 ? year old Border Collie, Maggie. We also have 3 kitties: Lexie, a Calico about 1 year old; Roxie a 3 yr old DSH and Rowdy, a 3 year old gray DMS. All get along great. Princess seems comforted by other animals, and especially our Golden, of course. She is quite the ?step-mom!? It has sort of been ?monkey see?..monkey do?, and that is the whole idea. If one critter wants attention now, so does Princess. She does follow me around a lot. Noises always startle her, however, we go about our business as she needs to get used to every noise, animals going in and out, cooking, telephone rings, etc. She has greatly improved on this. She has her spot underneath the kitchen table as we are in or around that area the most. Otherwise she does have a corner in the living room. I have introduced her to some chew bones, and she's tried a couple of Nyla bones, too.

We have made great advances in the feeding department. At first she did not eat at all, then only chicken we boiled or hamburger we browned and mixed with white rice. She did test positive for ringworm and the vet stated her appetite should increase with medication , which it has. Not a ton of food, but fairly normal now. I do feel her 4X a day rather than the 2X I do the rest of the clan. I try to keep it as calm as I can, but yet she has to get used to others eating as well.

This really warms our heart to see her eat as she is so very thin, only 36#!!! She is a smaller Golden and will probably top out at 50# at the most. Maybe she was the runt of the litter when she was born? Princess has the most beautiful face, great coat, clear eyes and nice teeth. She does have a heart murmur which may require meds when she gets older. The person adopting this dog should be very aware of this and watch for symptoms such as coughing, hard breathing or labored breathing, etc.

She does sit very nice by me and has even licked me! She loves kisses on her cheek, too. She loves to go for walks and is getting better. Still very timid around strangers (hunkers down and always has her tail in between her legs!). I am trying to socialize her more by taking her out in the front yard and just letting the neighbors come by. They know the situation and are very good about it. Socializing will really take time and patience, but she is very willing, I think. She really knows how we love her and shows small signs of trust. She is good about going to the bathroom and stools, etc. are fine. We walk Princess with a harness and leash, matching of course :) She is curious, too.

We are attempting to get her to come upstairs and sleep with the rest of the crew. We have one dog on the bed, two on their large pillows on the floor and kitties wherever. She has come up, popped her head around the corner, and then leaves. I believe she sleeps at the end of the steps. We also have a doggie bed for her in the living room, but she seems to do fine. I have slept down on the main floor in the extra bedroom and she will not come up on the bed, but rather lies on the floor next to the bed.

In time, I think she will jump up and snuggle like the rest of them. For the first time today (7/24) she ?humped? our Golden who was wrestling with the Border Collie! Was very cute to see and great that she ?stepped out? as well! We see her making small strides every day. We are just very patient. I don?t want to do too much for her, either. She has to learn nothing and no one will hurt her and noises and things are just a part of every day living.

I only go to work for 4 hrs in the morning, usually 7-11 am. This works out great for all of them. Then lunch and a walk(s), so no one is home for a long period of time. We generally never go anywhere much. Also, Princess was VERY good around our 7 month old granddaughter. Very good, and not too shy either!

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Updates

Wednesday, August 24, 2005

Last weekend Princess had her first road trip. My husband and I took Princess and our 9 year old Golden, Cheyenne, to see a friend in Rochester, MN. The ride up and back was perfect. We made one stop to potty and stretch half way up and back. They both were able to lie down in the back of my truck (seats fold down) and Princess was not nervous at all. She looked around and they both did fine. Once at my friend’s house, who has 1 kitty about 3–4 years old and two dogs, one approximately 2 1/2 years old and the other approximately 8 months. She has only had one of the dogs a couple weeks and the other one 5 months or so. Princess adjusted great....no accidents, was social with the other dogs and did just fine. She slept with us and our Cheyenne on the floor and did fine. We went for long walks, too.

Princess walks so well! Always on your right side, and never varies....never barks, once in a while she sniffs, and enjoys her walks! She is such a good girl! Such a real pleasure and enjoyment to walk and be with! She walks perfectly fine with the other dogs too, or by herself. I think she would rather have someone with her, but is fine alone.

Princess is doing wonderful. Loves her walks, loves to be outside in our fenced in back yard, run “laps” with the other ones....sniff at the fence and see what is new....check out the birdseed, etc. Princess enjoys bones, and I give my dogs pigskin, not rawhide, but she does not get sick from them. She enjoys stuffed toys too, however, she will take the “contents” out of the inside if left alone! She does not chew on anything else....just bones I give her otherwise lays quiet. Still shy when you want to come up to pet her and very hesitant about taking food out of your hand yet. That will come in time (and patience). But much better!!!

She still eats a little Diamond food (dry) (which she came with) and our Solid Gold mixed together. She still tends to prefer the Diamond I think but is adapting to the Solid Gold. I mix with moist yet in the morning and evening (Solid Gold turkey, chicken, duck or she really likes “Caesar” too, that comes in a square can with foil) I mix approximately ¾ cup dry with 3 tbls. or so moist. She still prefers to eat under the kitchen table…but no problems with other dogs…..She goes out in the morning with the other dogs (we generally get up at 5 or so) and potties and she is good until I get home from work at noon. Then again later in the afternoon, early evening, and that’s it!!! No accidents. Perfect since the spay/surgery. She knows when it is time to take a walk, and I try and alter which dog she walks with. I walk her on a harness. She is still not quite sure about putting that over her head, but nonetheless, stays still while I get her harnessed up. All in all she is the perfect dog and I really believe ready for her “forever, loving” home. We love Princess a lot. At the moment she is laying down behind my chair in the living room taking it easy! I will be taking her up to the vet office to get her weighed again next week….I believe she is about the same, maybe 40-44 pounds. Still a wonderful coat and great teeth, too. Princess would do the best with a fenced yard; another dog(s); kids ok---I don’t believe a real busy/active household would do her very good, however - she's a little to hesitant/shy/scared for that yet. She is going to make a perfect dog for the right family, she is a wonderful beautiful girl! We love her a lot…ever so wonderful!

Sunday, August 7, 2005

Today was another beautiful morning. We took all our dogs to the bike trail for a long walk. Princess does absolutely fine when meeting other dogs; and people if they are far away! Was fun to watch her today as she is more relaxed, sniffing around with the rest of them and not so worried about what may be “out there”! She was interested in the low-flying swallows, too. She is so very pretty when she puts her ears up! She even has her tail up while walking now, too. She always prefers to walk on the right-hand side of a person for some reason. Always. She enjoys staying outside in the backyard (we have a privacy fence and about 9 trees), just sitting on the step or laying in the grass watching the world go by. I have not seen her dig at all. Will romp with the others when the time comes.

I brushed her again today; not much to get out at all - she has a wonderful coat. She is still thin so there is not much to brush yet, but she seems to like it once you kneel down and show her what you are about to do. She watched me do the others ,too.

I am hoping were are about at the end of her heat cycle. We did have her sleep in a very large kennel I borrowed, as she was spotting pretty good and during this cycle, I would have a wet pee spot in the morning on the floor. I believe this is due to her cycle as she never did that when we first brought her home. When I ask her to go outside, she generally does. I have not seen her ask on her own. But then again, we are always going outside. She does not go out that often, maybe 3 times a day - as do our our others.

Princess is doing very well. It will be nice to have her spay operation scheduled this coming Thursday behind us. She is making much progress and is so loving when you are on the floor with her! Just a baby. We have not heard her bark yet, even at the other dogs in the neighborhood who are out barking! There are no problems with Princess at all…..just going slow with the shyness. She is still very, very timid when let outside as if she may have gotten stuck/bumped/hit or something in doorways before. So she is outside in a blink! Comes back in to her “spot” under the kitchen table where I have a doggie pillow case, her food dish and a couple of toys for comfort. When we are all in the living room, she will come sit quietly behind my chair. She's just an absolutely wonderful girl!

Friday, August 5, 2005

Princess is doing fine. She is still shy when a person is reaching down to pet her. However, she is right there next to you when you pet another dog. She is more likely to stay by you if you are on the floor, versus sitting in a chair. Her appetite is good. Still mixing moist in with the dry, and sometimes make white rice with chicken broth and boiled chicken too. Just a wonderful girl!

Monday, August 1, 2005

Princess doing fine - she is in heat and bleeding small amounts - just a few spots here and there and I believe that is why she is trying to mount our other Golden (who does not care a bit!). She seems very happy; once we are petting someone else, she comes right out and wants her turn as well. Otherwise, she likes to stay put in “her spot” under the kitchen table. I feed her there as well. She is getting better at activities in the house (cleaning, opening and shutting doors, the Border Collie barking, etc.). She eats about a cup total with dry and moist mixed together. I put her dish up so others do not eat it. I do leave some dry down at night in case she wants to snack however. None of the others come down at night. She will come up in the mornings and say hello, and maybe even jump on the bed once my husband is at work. Needs a little coaxing - she is still not sure of the “upstairs” and being away from safe spot.

By loving her up I have noticed her breath is fine and her teeth look great! Her coat is nice and soft and a beautiful golden (just medium color). Real perky warm eyes! They say a lot. I try and “mingle/love her up” a few times during the day. I want her used to the daily routine and to basically feel safe. She still gets along with the other 3 dogs and my 3 cats. Does not think a thing of the kitties. Just probably thinks they are useless and crazy when they have "their nuts times"!

Princess gets along with us all, she is still very cautious! She will romp in the backyard and have fun with the others, but not so much now, as it is too hot out for any of them. I am still trying to get her to eat out of my hand - nothing yet. I believe this is hard with the other 3 around too - not a fair type of deal!

She walks wonderfully on lead and occasionally sniffs certain spots - she's not scared walkng outside at all. We took her and our other Golden, Cheyenne, to our oldest daughter’s home yesterday. They have fenced in backyard, a 7 month old girl, and had a friend visiting as well. Princess, once inside the backyard with the rest of us sitting, did great. Everyone petted her in turns, and went very slow. She was fine with that. The baby was fine, too. There was a bean bag game being played and one of those small patio-burners/stove deals going, too. This went perfect. We are trying our best to socialize as we go. I think she handled it great. If you sit on the floor and pet another dog, she will be by your side, but not so much if you are sitting in a chair. She ate her dry food under the table tonight - no moist. She receives her last dose of meds for whipworm tomorrow and then a spay is scheduled for August 18th. A fecal sample will be brought in that morning as well to double check for anything else.

We are doing fine and she is going to make someone the perfect little girl!

Friday, July 29, 2005

I took Princess to vet and had her weighed - she is 45.8 lb. now! I am thrilled. Her prior weight was 38 lb., so in 8 days we have put on 7 pounds! She did fine at the vet’s office. I walked her up there with one of my other dogs, JJ (Corgi). Princess was frightened and drooled and kept her tail tucked between her legs. She is also in heat at this time. Other than being scared, she did fine. She met a couple with an older smaller dog and did perfect. The other people were slow with her and she did ok, considering.

I think it was a good experience for socialization and learning that the vet office is not necessarily painful or scary with shots, etc. Hopefully she will get spayed soon as we put a little more weight on and she has her second dose of meds for whipworm, which she tested positive for on July 21. After being diagnosed and treated for the worms, her appetite definitely increased. I still feed her under the kitchen table (where she goes to lay down). I feed her 3X a day with both moist food and dry, white rice, chicken and chicken broth. I leave her dry food at night in case she wants some. All the other dogs sleep upstairs with us at night. I do mix some of her prior food with it to slowly make the diet change. I also put Seameal on all the dogs’ food in the morning feeding.

Another huge surprise today! We get up very early in the mornings and my husband leaves by 6 a.m. for work. Sometime after that this morning, Princess was sleeping on the bed with me and two other dogs! At least there is a little more trust going on. Before she would not even venture upstairs, or if she did, would just peak around the corner and then go back down. The was big!

She also has a spot out in the living room behind my chair. She interacts perfectly with the other 3 dogs and 3 cats. I have no problems with bones, either. She has played “tag” with a couple of my other dogs in the fenced-in backyard - sort of running laps. Great to see her happy. This is such a beautiful girl! There are some chew toys she will munch on. She has chewed a kitty toy (plastic ball with bell inside) and a wicker coaster, so I feel she needs to have safe bones to chew.

She has never had an accident in the house - when the rest go out to potty, so does she. She loves the backyard and sniffs at everything. When going for walks, I usually always take her plus another dog. She is fine with traffic, meeting kids on bikes or smaller motor powered skateboards. Ok with other dogs. She is just very shy. She prefers to walk on the grass/boulevard rather than the sidewalk. She goes across the street ok and leads very well. I use a harness that hooks around her mid-section. This is the most wonderful Golden - such a small girl and a great coat, too. As soon as I pet one of my babies, she is right there for her pets, too! Does not always come when I call her, but she definitely will come if I have one of the other dogs. She is ok with my husband but a little more shy around him. She does wonderful with our 7 month old granddaughter, so small children are fine. She will need at least one other dog in the home and a fenced in yard. She will have a couple “Safe Spots” in the home. I think if trained, maybe would sleep on a pillow in time. We have one and she is on it once in a while. She is going to make someone a very special, wonderful, loving family member. I only work 4 hours a day and there is usually someone around the rest of the day. I work from about 7-11 or 8-12. We have a park close by and walk there a lot. There are many other dogs in our neighborhood who walk by, too. She just needs a lot of patience and to earn a family’s trust!